Live

London Underworld

The ten years that have passed since Birmingham's Esoteric perplexed and angered Cradle of Filth fans at the inaugural Devil's Church show have seen the band become something of a legend, with their occasional resurrections causing a stir before promptly disappearing again. With a higher profile than ever, Esoteric pull out all the stops in delivering a full-scale aural (make that sensual full stop) assault. It's initially difficult to cut through the wall of delay effects and as such each song takes a while to click. When things do fall into place, however, their intensity is hard to match. Greg Chandler's vocals sound like they emanate from hell itself and only add the the incredibly claustrophobic feel that permeates every nook of The Underworld. Exhilarating on one level and arduous on the other, the pleasure/pain combination is one not easily forgotten.

Reviewed by: -Guy Strachan, Terrorizer Issue 126 December 2004